Unique Low

Impact Expeditions Since 1999

Paddle Asia Mission Statement

Paddle Asia is 100% Thai owned. Dave Williams is not an owner
or shareholder. His role is marketing, destination
development, and training. Dave does not go on most tours. By
Thai law, tour guides must be licensed Thais. Dave
occasionally goes on bigger tours.

Paddle Asia delivers the highest quality outdoor
experiences, achieved through the education and safety of our
guests, respect and preservation of our environment, personal
growth of our staff and an unwavering commitment to ethical
excellence.

Paddle Asia was developed as a result of seeing what was
happening in the various existing kayaking companies in Phuket
and Krabi. Paddle Asia is the result of realizing that there
was a definite important niche that needed to be filled: small
group tours with high quality gear and highly trained guides.

The kayaking in Southern Thailand was and still is all about
the day trip and getting as many guests on trips as possible
to the most convenient places possible. The majority of these
guests are acquired through travel agents who are often more
interested in making commission than in offering the best
possible tour for their clients' hard-earned money.

The result is that you are put on whomever offers the best
commission instead of who offers the best trip. Paddle Asia
therefore chose to do primary marketing, whereby we talk to
you. You do not have to go through anyone to book our
adventures.

We questioned the status quo

Where could you go if you wanted a unique experience with
nature sans the thundering masses?

Where could you go if you did not want to share Mother
Nature's wonders with a bunch of people who didn't share
your desire for solitude and a one-on-one affair with these
wonders?

Where could you go if you wanted to paddle for yourself
instead of having a guide paddle for you?

Where could you go if you wanted a proper sit-inside
kayak instead of a sit-on-top or an inflatable boat?

Where could a potential visitor go to talk directly to the
person responsible for how they are going to spend their
very valuable vacation time without having to go through a
commission-intensive travel agent?

These were the questions that lead to the formation of Paddle
Asia.

Some companies offered overnight and multi-day trips, but
they were not up to speed on their natural history knowledge,
safety or paddling skills. Paddle Asia strived to do just the
oppose, resulting is us doing all that we could to avoid
seeing any other visitors.

Though we do operate private trips, our main mission is to
provide safe adventures for school
groups and private individuals by focusing on international
safety standards while having a solid knowledge in the
sciences.

Besides offering high quality tours to our guests, Paddle
Asia is attempting to show the government and other tour
operators that they do not have to compromise their
environmental ethics in order to have a viable business.
Another goal is to provide our Thai staff with personal growth
opportunities with the full understanding that the protection
of Thailand's remaining natural wonders in paramount for the
future of the Kingdom.

Paddle Asia does not apply for meaningless eco tourism
awards, most of which are handed out by organizations that
have nothing to do with low impact responsible tourism and who
hold their award ceremonies in fancy five-star mega resorts.
Recognition for doing what should be the industry standard is
a bit superfluous. Our focus instead is on minimizing our
impact and being the safest adventure tour company in the
region. No one is as highly certified to international safety
standards as the Paddle Asia team!

Everything in the world, no matter what it is, depends on
something else for its existence. If you understand and accept
the systems theory you see
the need for a balanced ecological view of the world, the need
for changes in the manner in which we do business with each
other, and the need for a general shift in technology toward a
more friendly use of the limited supply of natural resources.

Kayaking Day Trips.

No matter how beautiful a kayaking destination is, if the
guides do it day after day they will get tired of it. That
boredom will reflect in how they run the trip.

We are not in the day trip business for that very reason.
Yes, we offer a day
trip in Phang Nga Bay, but that is not the focus of our
attention. We are an expedition company and we are the best at
what we do... period.

Dave is a British Canoe Union Level 2 Coach (trained to
Level 3) and is the most experienced paddler in all of
Southern Thailand.

Dave is an Emergency First Response Instructor and a
certified rescue technician through the Rescue 3
International organization. Dave is also a certified
Life Guard through the British Canoe Union. View
certifications. Paddle Asia guides are EFR
certified in CPR, First Aid, and basic life guard
training.